Advocacy

Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS) is now the DC Charter School Alliance!

Please visit www.dccharters.org to learn about our new organization and to see the latest news and information related to DC charter schools.

The FOCUS DC website is online to see historic information, but is not actively updated.

FOCUS has been the principal advocate for Washington, DC’s public charter schools since before the first two schools opened in 1996. We helped get DC’s strong charter school law passed and over the years we’ve organized the public charter schools and their supporters to ensure that the government abides by the law. 

FOCUS has and continues to advocate for access to former DCPS school buildings, equitable funding, and to ensure that public charter schools maintain the autonomy guaranteed in the School Reform Act. In addition, FOCUS amplifies the voice of DC’s public charter schools in workgroups, taskforces and panels of the DC Public Charter School Board, the Office of the State Superintendent, the Deputy Mayor for Education, and the DC Council.

FOCUS’s advocacy staff continues to work tirelessly to ensure that the road is kept clear for the continued advancement and success of the charter school movement in DC.

Learn more here:

    •    Council Legislation
    •    OSSE Regulations
    •    PCSB Policies
    •    How to Testify

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